dao emerging

emerging Thunder and rain at night. Growth comes with a shock. Expression and duration Appear in the first moment. Things cannot remain in stillness forever. Winter storms may destroy some things, but they also prepare the way for life. If things are swept away, it is appropriate. There must be an opportunity for new living things to emerge and begin their own cycle. All growth comes with a shock. When a sprout breaks its casing and forces its way to the surface of the earth, it is the climax to a long and deep accumulation of life force. We may thing that it came up suddenly,but in actuality, it emerged as the product of unseen and subtle cycles. When the seedling appears, it carries with it the complete pattern for its growth, perhaps even the makings of an enormous tree. Although time and the right conditions are necessary, either of those factors adds anything to the inherent nature of the seedling. It completely embodies its destiny. Therefore, the growth and character of the plant—and its very life—are all present at the moment of emerging. emerging 365 Tao daily meditations Deng Ming-Dao (author) ISBN 0-06-250223-9 duckdaotsu.org tao hub Taoist Ritual Sword (detail) Qing dynasty, 18th century Steel, brass, and rayskin l. 77 cm The Art Institute of Chicago; lent by Mrs. E. F. Jeffery cat. no. 59 Taoist Ritual Sword Swords were used in Taoist rituals to purify the sacred altar of negative energies. As such, they were primarily tools of exorcism. Swords were symbolic rather than real weapons and were probably never actually sharpened. However, this sword was constructed and balanced in exactly the same way as a combat sword, and the ritual dances in which it was used resembled forms of martial arts. One side of the blade bears an inscription modeled after that on a sword given to Emperor Xuanzong (r. 712—756) of the Tang dynasty1 approximately one thousand years earlier. On the other side of the blade are inlaid images of important constellations in the Taoist heavens: the 28 Lunar Mansions2 and the Northern Dipper (Big Dipper). Taoists believed that the sword contained the energies of these constellations, especially the Northern Dipper, which was a powerful symbol of exorcism. The scabbard is decorated with the scaly skin of a ray dyed mineral green. Upon it are two dragons, symbols of yang energy. 1 Tang dynasty (618—906) At its height, Tang China was the largest and most powerful empire in the world. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, a professional civil-service bureaucracy rose to prominence. Tang power and influence was felt throughout Asia and even the Middle East. The blend of new and foreign ideas contributed to a rich mixture of tradition and cultural fruition. Many ideas from the West made their way into China along the Silk Roads during this period. Buddhism was the strongest foreign influence. When China began to suffer from foreign invasion toward the end of the Tang, Buddhism suffered imperial persecution. Taoism, however, flourished during this period and gained much imperial support. The Tang emperors, in fact, believed themselves to be the descendants of Laozi. 2 28 Lunar Mansions Constellations situated along the moon's path as it rotates around the earth each month. They are called "mansions" or "lodges" because they were once understood to be resting places for the moon during its journey. receive a full HTML copy of the daily meditation sent directly to your inbox, please send a note with the words "subscribe tao" in the subject line to duckdaotsu